Clubbing is generally a pretty social occasion and the best nights are always out with your mates. But sometimes you can have an equally good night with a solo mission. And that’s not one where you make temporary friends of the evening and talk rubbish to strangers in the twenty-minute line-up to get in. This is actually going to a gig by yourself, dancing to some tunes and going home, completely in your own head.

When I first started going out to underground nights or outdoor parties back in the day it was usually by myself. I wasn’t embedded in the music scene yet and just didn’t have many mates into boring repetitive electronic beats. Looking back, it was actually heaps of fun. Just a few weeks ago I was up in Sydney with some friends, but was keen to kick on into the evening at a club. By that point everyone was just ready to chill, so I continued on to seek out some techno alone. And it was fantastic, almost mediative. I could completely focus on the music, what the DJ was doing as they mixed, and be completely in the moment. I also spent way less on drinks too – no need to head to the bar by yourself! So next time you feel like heading out, but no one else is, why not give a solo techno mission a crack?

You could even give a few of these shows a go… First up is the mighty Borgore at Kyte on Thursday September 14 – last release tickets on sale now. Department of Late Night’s first Agency night is at Kyte on Friday September 15, with Melbourne’s ‘Prince of Techno’ Steve Ward bringing a stack of new techno tunes, plus local support from B-tham, Bakgat, and yours truly (Kazuki). That evening also has Aussie electro-house favourites Bag Raiders at Mr Wolf, while Will Sparks brings the Melbourne bounce at Academy. Plenty of party classics at Knightsbridge the following evening with Sassy Saturdays and Mr Michael on the decks, while South Coast tech-house crew Hi-Tech take over Kyte. No rest on Sunday with some underground sounds courtesy of D.K. (Paris, FR) at Bar Rochford (who was recently voted as Australia’s BEST BAR!) thanks to the Animals Dancing crew.

Hardstyle rave crew Hard Envy has two Sunday parties coming up at Cube! September 24 has The Khemist coming down from Sydney, while October 1 has The Principal up from Melbourne – great local support on both gigs too. Kyte has a new psytrance night on Friday September 29 – Lucid – with the one and only (and in my opinion, Australia’s if not one of the world’s best psytrance DJ) Loose Cannon – come check it out! If techno is more your thing, Mr Wolf has Germany’s Oliver Hunteman for a rare appearance, with Canberra’s own Doppel on support. If you prefer hip-hop and bass music, Dr Fresch has the answer at Academy – a big Friday, so be somewhere kids!

Some of the original founders of techno are coming to our fair city, with Kevin Saunderson and Christian Smith on Sunday October 1 for Escape Ferocity. It’s a long weekend too, so if you’re in town, no excuses.

Trance fans should head to Academy to catch Darren Porter and James Dymond for Trancendence on Friday 6 October, or bass fans head to Mr Wolf for UV Boi for his Returned Alone Tour. Academy has more great music the following weekend for bass fans as ShockOne tours his new record ‘A Dark Machine’. Seriously, how can you be bored in this city?